EVENT LINK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/jaque-fragua/

FEE: Free

Ghost Writing

Fred Donath, Jr. Memorial Gallery

April 5, 2025 - March 15, 2026

Ghost Writing is a compelling, mid-career retrospective showcasing work by Jaque Fragua, a contemporary artist from Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. Fragua works in a diverse array of media, including digital painting, sculpture, installation, and public art. His distinct style is characterized by bold colors and mark-making as well as thoughtful approach to appropriation.

EVENT LNK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/wiwahokichiyapi/

FEE: Free

Wíwahokičhiyapi

They Promised Things to Each Other

April 25, 2026 - February 7, 2026

Fred Donath, Jr. Memorial Gallery

Treaties are living documents that are “the supreme law of the land” and remain legally binding agreements that establish the political relationship between Native Nations and the United States government. These agreements have established land boundaries, resource rights, reservations; they determine Tribal Nation citizenship and outline mutual obligations. The Influence of treaties and the policies surrounding them has been profound, shaping both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art and ways of making. This exhibition explores how treaties continue to resonate through Native creativity and expression.

Wíwahokičhiyapi: They Promised Things to Each Other is an overview of treaties in this country with a focus on those that pertain to our region. This exhibition is developed in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Plains Art Museum partnered with Lakȟóta Archeologist Tyrel Iron Eyes and Giiwedinnong Treaty Museum’s Logan Monroe, Don Wendl, and Winona LaDuke. Our partners contributed research that informed and shaped the development of this exhibition.

EVENT LINK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/women-artists/

FEE: Free

Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity

Jane L. Stern Gallery

November 1, 2025 - March 1, 2026

Plains Art Museum proudly presents Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity, a major exhibition running November 1, 2025 – March 1, 2026, that traces the resilience and innovation of women artists from the early modern period to the present. The exhibition features 40 works from the Museum’s Permanent Collection alongside 37 works on loan from the Reading Public Museum.

EVENT LINK: https://lrac4.org/exhibit-schedule

FEE: Free and Open to the Public

LRAC EXHIBITION:
Tranquility & Turmoil

Lake Region Arts Council Main Gallery Opens New Exhibition
Tranquility & Turmoil

Opening: Monday, January 12, 2026
Closes: Thursday, March 12th, 2026
Location: Lake Region Arts Council Main Gallery
Joint Artist Reception: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 5:00–6:30PM
Artist Talks Begin: 5:30 PM
Reception held jointly with Solo Exhibition – Jammie Niemeyer

The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) Main Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Tranquility & Turmoil, a new group exhibition opening Monday, January 12, 2026. The exhibition explores the dynamic tension between calm and disruption, revealing how growth, insight, and transformation often emerge from uncertainty as much as from intention.

Through ceramic sculpture, suspended installation, and painting, Tranquility & Turmoil brings together the work of Blayze Buseth, Desiree Logan, Sam Busko, and Kiley Busko—artists who examine fragility, pressure, and imbalance within both natural and emotional landscapes.

Blayze Buseth’s ceramic practice embraces experimentation and imperfection, pushing clay to the edge of cracking, remixing materials, and allowing flaws to become integral to the final form. His sculptural vessels take on organic, elemental qualities reminiscent of wood grain, tree bark, eroded earth, and landscapes shaped by time and pressure—embodying turmoil as a necessary force in creation.

Desiree Logan contributes sculptural elements that reflect human presence within imagined environments. Drawing visual parallels to traditional shan shui landscape painting, her forms suggest emotional terrains that bridge inner human experience with contemplative, otherworldly spaces.

In dialogue with these works, Sam Busko presents a suspended flock of ceramic birds that embody freedom, movement, and wildness. Some birds are partially or fully coated in a dark, toxic-appearing substance that weighs each form down differently. As the coating increases, the birds become distorted and unrecognizable, prompting the question: if a bird loses the ability to fly, can it still be considered free?

Kiley Busko’s watercolor paintings extend this conversation by exploring tranquility alongside vulnerability in the natural world. Her vivid depictions of birds capture moments of stillness and grace, inviting quiet observation. This serenity is unsettled by more confronting works—portraits of injured or deceased wildlife rendered through expressive inks and gestural washes—exposing loss, fragility, and environmental consequence.

Together, the works form a shared landscape where beauty and disturbance coexist rather than cancel one another out. Across ceramic vessels, sculptural forms, and painted imagery, Tranquility & Turmoil invites viewers to reflect on how imbalance, pressure, and fragility shape both the natural world and human experience.

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Thursday | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed Friday – Sunday
(Please call or email in advance to ensure the gallery is open on the day of your visit.)

About the Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC):
The Lake Region Arts Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging the vitality of the arts in west central Minnesota. LRAC provides grant opportunities, workshops, technical assistance, and publishes a monthly ArtsNews newsletter for artists and arts organizations in the counties of Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin.

EVENT LINK: https://lrac4.org/exhibit-schedule

FEE: Free and Open to the Public

LRAC EXHIBITION:
Solo Exhibition by Jammie Niemeyer

Lake Region Arts Council Office Gallery Presents
Solo Exhibition by Jammie Niemeyer

Exhibition Dates: January 12 – March 12, 2026
Location: Lake Region Arts Council Office Gallery
Opening Reception: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 PM
Joint Reception with: Tranquility & Turmoil (LRAC Main Gallery)

The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) Office Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by artist Jammie Niemeyer, on view from January 12 through March 12, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, in conjunction with the Main Gallery exhibition Tranquility & Turmoil. The reception is free and open to the public.

Jammie Niemeyer’s art practice is deeply rooted in lived experience. A self-taught artist, Niemeyer has been drawing since childhood, often using art as a means of focus, expression, and understanding. Later in life, discovering they are full-spectrum dyslexic further affirmed the importance of art and music as essential tools for learning, processing, and communication.

Niemeyer’s creative journey began with small painted scenes on blown eggs and hobby-based artwork, gradually expanding into murals in churches and private homes, including a large-scale doodle mural along the Riverwalk in Granite Falls, Minnesota. Their work has also included a doodle silhouette series honoring influential Black Americans, larger sculptural works such as Lake Goddess, and recent explorations in copper sculpture. Over the past three years, wood-burning and leather burning have become central to Niemeyer’s practice, alongside ongoing teaching in both doodling and wood-burning.

Stylistically, Niemeyer’s work balances freedom and precision. Doodling provides a spontaneous, expressive outlet, while woodburning and leather burning offer a meditative, disciplined process grounded in focus on pressure, pace, and patience. Together, these methods reflect both the energetic and contemplative dimensions of their creative voice.

In addition to visual art, Niemeyer engages in public speaking as a form of storytelling and social reflection. Drawing from experiences of growing up in an all-white community and family, they share narratives that address both joy and harm, offering space for honesty, understanding, and connection. Through art and words, Niemeyer gives voice to perspectives that are often left unheard.

For Niemeyer, art is not simply a practice—it is a way of life.

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Thursday | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed Friday – Sunday
(Please call or email in advance to ensure the gallery is open on the day of your visit.)

About the Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC):
The Lake Region Arts Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging the vitality of the arts in west central Minnesota. LRAC provides grant opportunities, workshops, technical assistance, and publishes a monthly ArtsNews newsletter for artists and arts organizations in the counties of Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin.

EVENT LINK: https://www.minnesota.edu/news/two-winter-art-exhibits-opening-soon-fergus-falls-campus

FEE: Free and open to the public

The Process of Satiation – Emily Williams-Wheeler

Exhibition

Dates: January 14 – March 20, 2026
Location: Charles Beck Gallery, M State, Fergus Falls
Admission: Free and open to the public during regular campus hours

Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls presents The Process of Satiation, an exhibition of paintings by regional artist Emily Williams-Wheeler. Known for bold color, expressive linework, and large-scale public murals, Williams-Wheeler’s work explores visual intensity and emotional resonance.

A joint reception with “The Eclectic Collection – Cathrin & Laura Von Bank” will be held Wednesday, February 12, from 4:00–6:00 p.m.

EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org

FEE: Free

Ben Rheault | Sympathetic Resonances

Main Gallery | January 16 - March 1, 2026

Artist Ben Rheault presents Sympathetic Resonances, an exhibition shaped by a return to small, intimate, and spontaneous making. Currently living and working in Fargo, ND, Rheault earned his BFA in painting from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Teaching contemporary drawing in fall 2024 reignited his interest in immediacy and process, which anchors this body of work. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of music, literature, and film, Sympathetic Resonances reflects how cultural influences echo through creative practice.

EVENT LINK: https://www.minnesota.edu/news/two-winter-art-exhibits-opening-soon-fergus-falls-campus

FEE: Free and open to the public

The Eclectic Collection – Cathrin & Laura Von Bank

Exhibition

Dates: January 21 – May 16, 2026
Location: Waage Gallery, M State Fergus Falls
Admission: Free and open to the public during regular campus hours

The Eclectic Collection brings together work by sisters Cathrin and Laura Von Bank in a dynamic, multi-media exhibition. Featuring linocut prints, portraiture, fiber art, and mixed media, the show reflects the artists’ shared roots and distinct practices, drawing inspiration from nature, rural life, textiles, and the human figure.

A joint reception with “The Process of Satiation – Emily Williams-Wheeler” will be held Wednesday, February 12, from 4:00–6:00 p.m

EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org

FEE: Free

The 2026 Heart Show: "Call Me!"

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum

January 29 - February 22, 2026

An exhibit of talented artists to for our annual Valentine's exhibition, with special consideration for works that focus on the whimsical, kitschy, and retro vibes of mid-century Valentines. Reception on: February 13th, 3-5pm, snacks and refreshments will be provided.

EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org

FEE: Free

Tobias Zikmund | Electric Fence

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum

East Gallery | January 30 - March 15, 2026

Painter and public artist Tobias Zikmund presents work exploring landscape, agriculture, and the charged spaces where human systems meet the natural world. Based in Fargo, Zikmund grew up on a farm in northeast North Dakota and studied painting and art history at Minnesota State University Moorhead. His practice spans painting, photography, and socially engaged projects, drawing on aerial imagery, repetition, and personal ritual to examine care, control, and transcendence in rural landscapes. Zikmund has exhibited regionally and nationally and has participated in residencies including New York Mills Cultural Center.

EVENT LINK: https://plainsart.org/exhibitions/homing-radical-re-membering/

FEE: Free

Alicia Hauff | Homing: Radical Re-Membering

January 31, 2026 - July 5, 2026

Homing is a solo exhibition featuring the work of regional multidisciplinary artist Alicia Hauff. This body of work examines the disconnect between contemporary life and the ecological, ancestral, and somatic systems that have sustained human and non-human communities. Homing refers to “an ability to return to a place or territory after traveling a distance away from it.” The foundational aspects of home include a sense of rootedness, connectedness, belonging, safety, and mutual care. Homing is a re-membering, recovering, and re-commitment to the greater whole of interconnected, interdependent life. Re-membering relates to the embodied act of becoming whole, putting ourselves back together again in care and community. For Hauff, homing begins with getting to know those beings all around us, every day.

Starion Bank Gallery | Plains Art Museum

General admission to this and all exhibitions at Plains Art Museum are free every day of the week.

EVENT LINK: https://alexart.org/paint-your-own-pottery

FEE: $80 Non/$60 members 

Paint Your Own Pottery

February 10 or 12, 10 AM - 2 PM

Potter and painter Melissa Werpy will demonstrate painting techniques on pottery. Each participant will choose an 8”x8” tile or a tumbler to work on in class. Melissa will take them home and fire them. Art can be picked up at the Arts Center at a later date 

• February 10 Paint Your Own Pottery/ $80 Non/$60 members 

• February 12 Paint Your Own Pottery/ $80 Non/$60 members 

This is a one session class, offered on two separate dates.
Bring your own snack or bag lunch or stop in upstairs at Deja Bleu House of Coffee.

Limited to 12 participants per class.